Image Comics Solicitations For May 2013 – Including Three New Number Ones, Four Including Skullkickers, Extra America’s Got Powers… But No Saga.

Ten Grand from JMS and Ben Templesmith. Bounce by Joe Casey and David Messina. Dream Merchant by Nathan Edmonson and Konstantin Novosadov. Oh yes and Skullkickers gets another new issue 1 with new adjectives. Michonne gets a new resin statue. But no Saga…

However America’s Got Powers gets one extra issue, extending six issues into seven! Welcome to Image Comics’ solicitations for May 2013, first on Bleeding Cool!

TEN GRAND #1 (MR)

(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A/CA) Ben Templesmith

Joe Fitzgerald was a mob enforcer until the day he met Laura, who convinced him to leave that world behind. Before quitting, Joe agreed to one last job, little realizing that the man he’d been sent to kill was deeply involved in demonlogy. He survived Joe’s attempt and came after him, fatally wounding Joe and killing Laura. As he lay dying, an angelic force (who may or may not be what she appears) pointed out that where she is going, he can’t follow, and where he is going, he wouldn’t want her to follow. But if he will agree to work for them as a different kind of enforcer, they will bring him to life and keep on bringing him to life every time he is killed in a righteous cause. The reward: for those five minutes of death, he will be with Laura again. Would you endure an eternity of pain and death, dying over and over, to be with the woman you love for just five minutes each time you died? Most people might say no. But Joe Fitzgerald isn’t most people.

A bold new era begins with the long-anticipated return of Joe’s Comics, the imprint that brought you MIDNIGHT NATION and RISING STARS. All-new stories from J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI (Babylon 5, Jeremiah, Thor, Amazing Spider-Man, Superman: Earth One) return in 2013 with an action packed line up featuring everything from superhero action to supernatural thrillers. Watch this space as a new wave of exciting, challenging and experimental stories begins!

BOUNCE #1 (MR)

(W) Joe Casey (A/CA) David Messina

FIRST ISSUE SPECTACULAR!
Meet the ultimate slacker superhero for the 21st Century! Jasper Jenkins is a super-head AND a super-hero! He’s relatable AND reliable and he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime! The sensational debut of the new feel-good hero of the decade! You can’t afford to miss it!

DREAM MERCHANT #1 (OF 6) (MR)

(W) Nathan Edmondson (A/CA) Konstantin Novosadov

“PART ONE.”
A double-size issue to kick off a new sci-fi series from Nathan Edmondson and newcomer Konstantin Novosadov. Haunted by recurring dreams, a boy named Winslow is hunted by mysterious beings and protected by an old traveler. Soon Winslow will realize that what is in his dreams is what the rest of the world has been made to forget–and what strange entities will stop at nothing to erase from his mind.

THE ALL-NEW SECRET SKULLKICKERS: We can’t hide the secret any longer!
SKULLKICKERS is the most fun adventure comic in the entire industry.
Jump on board with this unbooted new first issue and see why!

And, for those of you wishing comics kept the original numbering: No problem! Our B cover variant is a legacy-tastic issue twenty-two.

P.S. Retailers: Rack this comic beside other “All-New” or “Secret” comics you may have at your shop and tell people it’s a crossover or alternate universe title.

AMERICAS GOT POWERS #7 (OF 7)

(W) Jonathan Ross (A/CA) Bryan Hitch

Too many Americans with too many powers…so the government decides it’s time to wipe them all out and start from scratch. Nobody ever said it would be easy.

BEDLAM #7 (MR)

(W) Nick Spencer (A) Ryan Browne (CA) Frazer Irving

“Way Back When.”

BEDLAM TP VOL 01

(W) Nick Spencer (A) Riley Rossmo (CA) Frazer Irving

One of the hottest new series of the year gets its first, new reader friendly-priced collection!

Fillmore Press was once Madder Red, a homicidal maniac and criminal overlord who ruled the city of Bedlam. Now he’s been cured of his mania, and says he wants to help protect the place he once terrorized – but can he be trusted?

“AN ERRAND INTO THE WILDERNESS”
A walled utopia conceived by the elites of the former United States. A barbaric wilderness engulfed in the perpetual strife of tribal warfare. A crack soldier tasked with a clandestine mission to recover a lost comrade. Welcome to the American dark age of the 22nd Century.

The first arc of Image’s dystopian espionage thriller is collected here! Already acclaimed by some of comics’ top creators and released just in time for readers to jump on board with issue 6!

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #10

(W) Jamie S. Rich (A) Natalie Nourigat (CA) Laura Allred, Mike Allred

“TWEENAGE FBI” Part One
BETWEEN GEARS creator NATALIE NOURIGAT joins the Atomics team! Someone broke into Flem’s lab and stole a dangerous invention. It Girl picks up the crooks’ trail, only to discover it leads to a team of underage secret agents – though the real criminal mastermind is centuries older than all of them.

MORNING GLORIES #27 (MR)

(W) Nick Spencer (A) Joe Eisma

“THERE IS NO BEGINNING”
The double-sized Season 2 premiere! With an astonishing array of covers by some of the hottest artists working today: JENNY FRISSON, ROB GUILLORY, SHAWN MARTINBROUGH, JAMIE McKELVIE, EMMA RIOS and MORNING GLORIES’ own JOE EISMA!

Heist master Andy Diggle joins the THIEF OF THIEVES team for the start of a brand new arc! Meet Lola, the Cartel boss. And what Lola wants, Lola gets – and Conrad’s going to learn that the hard way. Get ready for the most EXPLOSIVE story arc of THIEF OF THIEVES yet!

G-MAN TP VOL 03 COMING HOME

(W/A/CA) Chris Giarrusso

Chris Giarrusso’s critically-acclaimed kid superhero series continues with volume three! The brothers G-Man and Great Man have finally returned from their Cape Crisis adventure, only to discover that not everybody is happy that they’re back. Will they be allowed to keep their superpowers? What has Wizard Glendolf made for lunch this time?

CLONE TP VOL 01

(W) David Schulner (A/CA) Juan Jose Ryp, Felix Serrano

From ROBERT KIRKMAN’s Skybound imprint comes a sci-fi story like you’ve never seen before! Dr. Luke Taylor’s perfect life comes to a dramatic halt when an identical, bloodied version of himself arrives at his doorstep with news that he is one of many clones… and they’re all after his pregnant wife and their unborn child!

COMEBACK TP

(W) Ed Brisson (A/CA) Michael Walsh

Reconnect agents Mark and Seth go back in time to save people from their untimely demise – for a fee. But, when a rescue mission goes awry, both agents find themselves trapped in the past and on the run from both the FBI, who want to jail them, and their own employers who want to kill them to protect their own dark and deadly secrets.

The sold out first hardcover volume of ELEPHANTMEN is back in print and now includes the sold out ZERO issue with art by LADRÖNN, as well as a sketchbook section, the English & Media Studies back matter from the single issues, and an introduction by JONATHAN ROSS!

Collects ELEPHANTMEN 0-7

GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES TP

(W) Mark Sable (A/CA) Paul Azaceta

Afghanistan. U.S. Marines face a never-ending onslaught of Taliban. But even hell can get worse. The dead are coming back to life in The Graveyard of Empires, and only together can both sides of the today’s conflict survive tomorrow’s undead assault. Writer MARK SABLE (Unthinkable, Two-Face Year One) reunites with his GROUNDED co-creator, PAUL AZACETA (Amazing Spider-Man) to tell this critically claimed, controversial tale of terror. Featuring an all-new story created by Paul Azaceta in his comics writing debut!

GREAT PACIFIC TP VOL 01 TRASHED (MR)

(W) Joe Harris (A/CA) Martin Morazzo

When fugitive oil heir Chas Worthington settles the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch and declares it his own sovereign nation, the reality of the environmental catastrophe is only the beginning of his odyssey. Collects the first arc of this breakout hit series – a sprawling adventure across earth’s newest, strangest frontier!

The last volume in the HACK/SLASH horror saga collects the epic FINALE and the acclaimed bloodsoaked tales that lead up to it! When Cassie discovers a potential cure for slashers, she accidently kickstarts a chain of events that will lead to the ultimate betrayal at the hands of a man she thought she could trust! Giant monsters, Vlad’s man-eating family, the secret life of Cat Curio, and the finale showdown fans have waited years to see!

The recipient of numerous “best of” accolades in 2012, HOAX HUNTERS continues its critically acclaimed run! In this collection, the Hoax Hunters visit Haunchyville to bust the myth of the gnomes and their albino king while trying to prevent the Hoax Hunters Hunters from blowing their cover. Also included is the fan-favorite flip issue spoofing a certain ghost-hunting reality show and two all-new shorts!

Collects HOAX HUNTERS 6-9

SPAWN ORIGINS TP VOL 18

(W) Todd McFarlane, Brian Holguin (A) Angel Medina (CA) Clayton Crain

In 1992, legendary writer and artist TODD MCFARLANE unleashed his iconic antihero, Spawn, on the world. In so doing, he launched the most successful independent comic book in history – and the world would never be the same.

SPAWN: ORIGINS, VOL. 18 features the stories and artwork that helped cement the Spawn legacy. Relive the excitement of this groundbreaking series – collected in this accessibly priced format with exclusive bonus content, including cover galleries, black and white art, classic quotes and an exclusive digitally painted cover by CLAYTON CRAIN.

Collects SPAWN 105-110

WITCHBLADE REBIRTH TP VOL 03

(W) Tim Seeley (A) Diego Bernard (CA) John Tyler Christopher

“APPARITIONS”
Sara Pezzini moved to Chicago and started a new life as a private investigator to escape her past in New York. But instead of getting settled into her new career, Sara has felt like she has been running in circles chasing ghosts… or, is it the ghosts that have been chasing her? Sara will have to contend against mercenaries, gangsters, and power hungry leprechauns, all while suffering the drudgeries of trying to stay profitable. Maybe black cats really do bring quantifiable amounts of bad luck.

The skies over Vietnam rain liquid fire as Brian Curliss, AKA Jungle Jim continues his epic quest to find the rotting, undead remains of Sergeant Jim Asher. Jim’s search carries him across the border into war-torn Cambodia, where the struggling occupants of an isolated French mission hold their own against hunger, madness and the ravenous dead.

In the dripping shadows of the rainforest, human life hangs on a hair trigger and to save himself and those who need him, Jim will have to face more than the living dead and swarms of vengeful Viet Cong… because here there be tigers.

ACTIVITY #16

(W) Nathan Edmondson (A/CA) Mitch Gerads

“WARFARE WITHOUT WARNING”
Special double-size issue. The Activity is going to war.

ARTIFACTS #29

(W) Ron Marz (A) Nelson Blake II (CA) Stjepan Sejic

Who is Tilly Grimes? A goth? A punk? A numeromancer? Partner to FBI Profiler and Rapture bearer Tom Judge? She’s all those and more, gifted or perhaps cursed with the ability to glean the future from mathematical equations. Learn the truth about Tilly in a stand-alone issue unlike any other you’ve ever seen.

CHEW #35 (MR)

(W) John Layman (A/CA) Rob Guillory

Dietary restrictions.

CHIN MUSIC #2 (MR)

(W) Steve Niles (A/CA) Tony Harris

Al Capone is dead. Shot through the skull by Shaws cursed slug, the gangland legend lies dead before Eliot Ness could drag him to court of tax evasion. Shaw’s interference has uprooted history and now Ness wants it set straight. The shot also alerted Shaw’s enemies of his presence in Capone era Chicago, and they are coming for him. They took his skin last time. This time they’ll have his eternal soul.

CLONE #7

(W) David Schulner & Various (A/CA) Juan Jose Ryp, Felix Serrano

What do you do after you kill one clone? Kill the rest. Beta is hell bent on exterminating his predecessors from the face of the planet. But has he also unlocked the killer within Luke?

DARKNESS #114 (MR)

(W) David Hine (A/CA) Jeremy Haun, John Rauch

“THE AGE OF REASON,” Part One
Jackie Estacado is no longer lord over The Darkness. His Doppelganger has usurped his place at the head of his crime organization and his daughter Hope is quickly maturing and growing in her abilities to inherit the Darkness power for herself. Jump on board in the first part of this special, oversized issue of The Darkness that unveils the horrors that come to life when Hope’s nightmares are allowed to roam free.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS #3 (OF 3) (MR)

(W) Kurtis J. Wiebe & Various (A/CA) Riley Rossmo

Inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead, artist extraordinaire, RILEY ROSSMO, interprets stories from three of today’s top writers. From KURTIS WIEBE (PETER PANZERFAUST) comes a heartbreaking love story–in this world or the next. JOE KEATINGE (GLORY, HELL YEAH) offers up Day of the Dead 3000. As Ultra Muertos falls at the hands of Mother Slaughter, his grandson takes over the mantle with a death wish for all-out apocalypse! And New York Times bestselling author ALEXANDER GRECIAN (PROOF) tells a tale of ghost children.

A DISTANT SOIL #40

(W/A/CA) Colleen Doran

The final chapter of the A DISTANT SOIL saga continues as fifteen-year-old Liana, the ultimate psionic weapon of mass destruction, loses control of her power and threatens to destroy everyone and everything in her path.

EAST OF WEST #3

(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Nick Dragotta

“THE DRAGON”
Death’s reign of terror over THOSE WHO RULE continues, as the forces of the END TIMES continue to work to bring about the Apocalypse. It’s the END OF THE WORLD: Someone dies, someone lives, and someone falls in love.

ELEPHANTMEN #48 (MR)

(W) Richard Starkings (A) Axel Medellin (CA) Boo Cook

“SLEEPING PARTNERS,” Part Seven
There’s a price on Gabbatha’s head and the Silencer means to collect.

FIVE GHOSTS HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #3 (OF 5)

(W) Frank J. Barbiere (A/CA) Chris Mooneyham

“ENTER: THE FORGOTTEN CITY!”
In a fantastic valley…far from the eyes of man…Fabian Gray meets THE GUARDIAN OF DREAMS!

FIVE WEAPONS #4 (OF 5)

(W/A/CA) Jimmie Robinson

Tyler has to battle the Gun Club, beat the faculty’s scheme to expel him and keep his secret identity safe at the school of Five Weapons. Not a problem for Tyler’s devious calculations – except this time he doesn’t have a plan.

Planets are blown up. Destinies are realized. The good guys don’t win.

BONUS: WHAT IS JOE KEATINGE & JAMES HARVEY’S NULL/VOID?! (Find out!)

SERIES ONE CONCLUDES

I LOVE TROUBLE #6 (MR)

(W) Kel Symons (A/CA) Mark A. Robinson

“AN APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA”
You can’t outrun your troubles.

INVINCIBLE #103

(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Ryan Ottley, John Rauch

Angstrom Levy returns.

INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE #2

(W) Phil Hester (A/CA) Todd Nauck, John Rauch

Cecil Steadman’s bargain with Mr. Liu has taken a turn for the worst – and now the greatest heroes of the Invincible Universe must defeat the dragon unleashed! But who will pay the cost for Cecil’s choice?

LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #6 (OF 6) (MR)

(W) Justin Jordan (A/CA) Tradd Moore

MINISERIES CONCLUSION!
Jack is loose in the world, and Luther isn’t strong enough to stop him. But Petra might be.

LOST VEGAS #3 (OF 4) CVR A LEE

(W) Jim McCann (A/CA) Janet Lee

The stakes have never been higher. It all comes down to one hand. And if that doesn’t work, how do you create a Plan B on the fly with the galaxy’s most treacherous race has discovered you and your handful of allies? The last-page solution will shock you as Roland and his crew must make a major sacrifice.

MANHATTAN PROJECTS #14

(W) Jonathan Hickman (A) Nick Pitarra (CA) Jonathan Hickman

“UPWARD BOUND”
Lines are drawn as the Manhattan Projects fractures. Who is on which side? Where are the lines drawn? Can anyone trust anyone? The great game called FUTURE begins!

(W) Brian Wood (A) Ming Doyle, Jordie Bellaire (CA) Ming Doyle
CONCLUSION!
A few short months ago, Mara Prince had the world in the palm of her hand. Now the world has so completely rejected her she has no place left to go. Or does she? The dramatic conclusion to MARA is here.

MICE TEMPLAR IV LEGEND #2

(W) Bryan J. L. Glass, Michael Avon Oeming (A/CA) Victor Santos

“DESPERATE SEASON”
Karic and his cause have been betrayed, and the fragile alliance he forged crumbles before him. Faced with ever-increasing loss, the courageous mouse makes a daring decision! Meanwhile, his surviving family and friends in hiding at the capital city face an even greater betrayal by one of their own; and Karic’s mother Mornae comes face-to-face with the wrath of the mad king Icarus!

MIND THE GAP #11
(W) Jim McAnn (A) Sami Basri (CA) Rodin Esquejo

“OUT OF BODIES,” Part One
As the Hoodie revelation sinks in, lines are drawn in the sand, friendships are torn apart, and new mysteries come to light. Can what was said be the truth? Who is a pawn and who is a player? Meanwhile, Elle is finding her own mental world being overwhelmed now that her secret has come to light to the rest of the spirits in the Garden. But that’s not going to stop her from getting answers from someone who has betrayed her!

Special guest artist SAMI BASRI? (Voodoo, Power Girl) joins us for a thrilling two-part arc, as well as the amazing MICHAEL GAYDOS (Alias) killing it on alternate covers! With the first two volumes out, this is a great jumping on point! Join the mystery everyone is talking about!!

MINIATURE JESUS #2 (OF 5) (MR)

(W/A/CA) Ted McKeever

Critically acclaimed writer/artist TED McKEEVER returns to the theater of the bizarre, as a small-town Pastor thinks the eight-inch Jesus that descended from a cross on the church’s wall is the devil’s work. Meanwhile, a recovering alcoholic’s fractured reality battling his own demons is becoming all too literal.

“THE CLAW”
The Claw returns! the legendary villain from the Golden Age of comics strikes again! Malcolm Dragon joins forces with the Claw’s most hated enemy–the Golden Age Daredevil in an effort to stop the notorious menace! Plus, we continue to look into the lives of the sons and daughters of Chicago’s Vicious Circle. It’s a tantalizing glimpse at the crime family they were born to inherit and the forces who oppose them.

SEX #3 (MR)

(W) Joe Casey (A/CA) Piotr Kowalski

There are a million stories in Saturn City, and Simon Cooke’s is just one of them! His future may be wide open, but the past is hot on his tail! The Old Man can still get it up! No two ways about it — this is the perfect time to pay for SEX! It’s even better than you think!

SNAPSHOT #4 (OF 4)

(W) Andy Diggle (A/CA) Jock

MINISERIES CONCLUSION!
It all ends here as the awful truth behind a multi-million dollar conspiracy is revealed, with deadly consequences. If young Jake is to survive , what kind of man must he become? And is it worth the price?

SON OF MERLIN #4

(W) Robert Place Napton (A/CA) Zid

OSCAILT AMACH!
Morgana has found the brilliant M.I.T. professor and heir to Merlin’s magic, Dr. Simon Ambrose, and will stop at nothing to seize Merlin’s power from his grasp. Simon, however, is untrained in magic and until he is better versed in casting Druid spells, he will need to rely on the safeguards Merlin planned in advance for him to flee Morgana’s wrath. But will it be enough?

SPAWN #231

(W) Todd McFarlane (A) Szymon Kudranski (CA) Todd McFarlane

“COMPLEX MESSIAH” Part Three
Who Is In Control? The Man? Or the Monster?

“Complex Messiah” is an epic new story arc, serving as a jumping on point for new readers, as well as the next phase in Spawn’s evolution. As the worldwide fervor around Jim Downing’s miraculous gifts continues to grow, the darkness that lives within him begins to threaten his newfound fame.

Meanwhile, a small group of online friends gain insight into their understanding of the Hellspawn, slowly piecing together a dangerous new theory about the world’s newest “messiah.”

And, somewhere in the shadows, an old enemy lurks.

Also featured: Detective Craig Rowand came to New York looking for clues. That journey brought him face-to-face with evil in the form of the demonic temptress, Hel. Haunted by the encounter, a good man’s steady spiral into madness begins here.

SUPER DINOSAUR #21

(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Jason Howard, Cliff Rathburn (CA) Jason Howard

The search for the cure for Derek’s mother takes him and Super Dinosaur to some interesting… and DANGEROUS places. Will they find it in time?

WALKING DEAD #110 (MR)

(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn

Ezekiel vs. Michonne?

WITCHBLADE #166

(W) Tim Seeley (A/CA) Diego Bernard

“SKELETONS”
Sara Pezzini’s world has become increasingly gray since she became a private investigator. Without the laws and regulations that being a cop used to provide, Sara has no idea whether her actions have been for the greater good or not. But to both put food on the table and stop a more powerful evil, Sara will need to dig up enough dirt to destroy the career of the only decent and honest politician left in Chicago.

YOUNGBLOOD #78

(W) Rob Liefeld (A) Jon Malin (CA) Rob Liefeld

“DARK RISING”
In the wake of Lord Chapel’s return, the Youngblood Corps. assembles en masse to combat the dark lord’s terrible plan to converge with another dimension. Guest starring every Youngblood member featured in the history of Youngblood.

WALKING DEAD MICHONNE RESIN STATUE

Standing over 14-inches tall; this limited-edition statue captures, in amazing detail, the embodiment of Michonne’s character — with the fearlessness and lethality that has made her a fan favorite in The Walking Dead universe. With acute attention to every decaying detail the Michonne statue was created, developed and designed by Todd McFarlane and his award-winning McFarlane Toys design group, in conjunction with Robert Kirkman and Skybound publishing. This statue also includes a detailed rotating display base with gruesome action at every angle!

Each sequentially numbered piece is hand-signed by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and will include a Certificate of Authenticity hand-signed by Todd McFarlane.

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